While your teak patio furniture is some of the most durable furniture available, that doesn't mean you should totally ignore it when you leave it outside all year long.
This is especially the case when you have left your teak patio furniture outside through the winter. If you live in areas where the mercury drops to, or below, freezing, that is a lot of temperature change to ask it to go through. All wood reacts to the shift in cold weather. Although teak wood doesn't weaken like many other woods do, it still can be affected by the cold.
As the snow melts and the temperature starts to heat up, you need to consider what you have done to protect your teak patio furniture throughout the winter. Did you cover it up or put it away? Or did you leave it out in the elements and hope it will hold up through colder months.
Either way, it's time to take a closer look at it to see how well it's holding up to the weather changes.
For the most part, teak patio furniture is sturdy. It is not going to weaken quickly, unlike many other woods, but you may initially notice a change in the color of the teak wood.
Once it has gone through the drying conditions of winter, you will notice that the brown-orange wood has started to change to a silver-grey color. This is nothing to worry about. This is what happens to teak patio furniture, as it ages. The wood changes color. This in no way shows any weakness in the wood, it's just part of the aging process.
Now it's time to get a real good look at your teak patio furniture. All those months of sitting outside may have caused dirt, dust and debris to build up on it and in it. This needs to be cleaned. You should use a brush and soapy water to remove any dirt from it and it is important to NOT use a wire brush. While wire brushes may seem to be able to do a better job at cleaning your teak patio furniture, with more scrubbing power, the truth is they can cut grooves in the teak and deposit small pieces of metal in the wood. This metal can later rust and really damage the wood.
After your teak patio furniture is completely cleaned, you need to let it dry. This could take many hours, or a full day. Once it's dry, you need to oil tit to protect it, and help lengthen its life. While you may find things that are called teak oil in your furniture store, the teak oil you want to use will not be found in any department store. The best teak oil will be found at a marine shop, as it is used on boats.
Just as you clean up inside your house after winter, you should also clean up outside, and reclaim your teak patio furniture from the elements that have piled up against it all winter long.
Author Jennifer Akre is an owner of a wide variety of online specialty shops that offer both products and information on how you can easily furnish and decorate your space. Whether it's your living, bedroom, or even your deck or patio, there are many tips you can use to make your space both functional and beautiful. Today, she gives advice on how to create a fabulous outdoor area by using lavish patio furniture, durable resin patio furniture, and elegant outdoor patio sets.
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